This specification relates to performing image transformations within a cropping environment. An image processing application can receive a request from a user associated with the application to crop a portion of a digital image. The cropped portion can have a predefined aspect ratio, e.g., 5×7, or a custom aspect ratio. Usually, a user applies zoom, pan and straighten transformations prior to and independently of cropping the image. In that fashion, the user iteratively applies the rotation (or zoom or pan) and crop functions repeatedly, as part of a trial-and-error process. For example, a user of a current cropping system applies a crop-box to a digital image and the current system automatically zooms into the image content included in the crop-box. However, if the user is not satisfied with some aspect of the zoomed view associated with the image content inside the applied crop-box, then the user must zoom out to the previous view of the image in order to apply another crop-box. Once the new crop-box is set by the user, the current system automatically zooms into image content included in the newly applied crop-box. This cycle is repeated until the desired result is achieved.